Like the Dalai Lama Swearing

I suspect that my whole adult life I've been cheated. Cheated on every gin and tonic or any mixed drink I've ever ordered in Canada. Last night, to celebrate having finally obtained the key to our new apartment, and the kid's first week at pre-school, I ordered a strawberry vodka drink, and two sips in, I had to stop. It was so deliciously strong! It was weird, maybe it's because I don't normally drink hard alcohol that the drink hit me instantly, or it's because drinks in Canada suck. I suspect the later.

Having spent a week in the kid's class, getting him used to the mayhem of suddenly being plunked into an echo-y room with 12 other screaming kids and new teachers, we are both celebrating his fantastic easy-going adaptation with a cough and a cold. Inevitably bound to happen, after noticing the snots cycling through the class at rapid speed since I suspect that in Brazil, the snot rule: if it's green stay at home, if it's yellow, come to school" doesn't seem to apply.

Aside from this tiny setback on this moving day, the school experience was awesome. I absolutely loved spending time in the class with the little ones and having a chance to see exactly what my kid will be doing every day. The neat thing about this school is that it is based on the Canadian French Immersion school system, only in Brazil, for English Immersion. Two thirds of the kids are primarily Portuguese speakers, while the rest are expats from Australia, the states, Canada and Spanish speaking South American countries. What a multicultural experience! All the teachers speak only English and everything is taught in English. By the end of the week, the kid was happy to stay the four hours there without me and was super excited to tell me about circles, squares and what the school pet, Oli the Mico monkey, ate for snack.

After five weeks of back and forth with the apartment owner, the rental agency, my husband's company, the lawyers, the notaries, the insurance clerk and my husband, the rental contract was finally signed! Pheww! Just in time, as my infinitely calm husband warned me in the car before we met the rental agent, "if we don't get the key today for whatever little reason, I will completely LOSE it on this lady!" This was scary, it would be like the Dalai Lama swearing. Thank goodness the three hour long inspection went well, we got the keys and rushed back to the hotel for a pizza and a strong, tasty vodka drink!

Who's coming to visit and sit in this chair first?

One block from the beach!